Folding poultry-crate.



No. 823,945. PATBNTBD JUNE 19, .1906.

G.^B. HENRY 6v A. MARSH. FOL'DIN G POULTRY CRATE. :ArrLIoATIoNIILBD JULY s. 1905.

^ Inventors mui ZZam/v www am CD.. mummupmff...www D C No. 823,945. PA'JIENTEN JUNE 19, 1906. G. B. EENEY E A. MARSH.

FOLDING POULTEY CRATE.

AIPLIGATION FILED JULY 6. 1905.

Inventor. .s

" I e,Etoneli-s. HNRYAND vvALEminnen MARSH, on enseres, MissoUsi;

" 1 Nolseaeea' r ,'without the use of nails,y screws', or rivets".` j l1 l e To this end the invention vconsists `in `Gertain novel 'and-peculiarfeatures oiconstruc4 Crates; and four Objectis to'l roducea struc-A ythat itcan besecuredreliably in leither form tioIi and JorganiZatiOn,v A-asf' hereinafter described andfclaimed, and inorfder.f'thatitmay` be fully understood reference is to be'had' to i theaccompanying drawings, in wliich;

Vcoo]r embodyingpur invention; .'Fig. '2 is a kvertical section onthe line I I Hof Fi 1". @Fig -f3 is a vertical section on thelinel II IIof] Fig. 1 Fig. 4 isa'vertical'seotion on the line; 1V IVo Fig; 1, Figi 5 is a top plan'view of' vthe `crate with the ends and partitionfolded down and secured upon the bottom and the sides hanging lpe'ndently and the top sections vk foldedback into the sidesand so secured.

Fig. 6 is an end view ofthecrate yin its knock-- down Ic'on`dition%thatv is, withtheend ortions/and partition-arranged as shown in iig) 5 and with the sides and to fseetion'sse'cured with cross-cleats 2 ali yGross-cleat 3. The end walls of the coop or together as in Fig.l 5 an r`tlienffoldefd up against the under-.side of-the'bottom and' so 4'f secured. Fig. '7 isman inverted plan'view ot thecoop or crate in its'fol'ded'or knoek'do'wn' T condition.4

In the said drawings, l1v indicates the bot-` tom ofthe'coop, the same beingpf. oblong rectangular form and rovided near its endsnear Aits middle with a crate comprisefposts 4, connected by slats' 5 andhinged, as at 6, to the u perside of thebottom, soA that when said en walls are operad tive position they shall rest upon the bottom with their posts atk opposite ends of cleats 2 -and their lower `slats 5upon the bottom and outward of cleats 2. At diagonally opposite fr). 5i

points the end walls are provided with inally connected to staples? are''hooks 9.

The @Oopisgprovided withapartitiencomprising posts 10 and slats 11 ,secured tov and l' e `rojectingbeyond'theposts,-the lowest s lat` that when thepartitonis upright tsjhallfr'est Projecting. from'` the. partition(V at the v.same

The Sidejrw'ails.ortheCoop'cempriseaidV slats l17,;.the undermost kslats being' hinged, as latrl8,jto the lower",sidemargins'of bottoml, 1 the arrangement being suchthat when the-'f .j

[Patented-'Juas 19,1906. f

wardly-proeeting` staples 7 and 8,- pivote d y f sidewalls "aredis'po'sed" operative position v I posts 15f'ar1dl`6'rest` upon the bottom atop` .Y yposite ends,4V respectively, ef cleats' 2" and 3,'. 'with' the post"sj15disposed between poststefv j `the end walls. .'At vdiagonally0,1;5positeeor 1 ners and projecting? i1'1war'dl'5rv fromv posts '-15 v "are sta les '.19 and'20, thek {gym-e1. for. egge 'ment y hooks 9, 'ands'taples 20,-carryir`1'gr hooks 21 for engagement with staples2l of the end walls,y these hooks and staplesbeing utiltized'for securing the endwalls and sidewalls 'reliably infavertiealxposition. lSecured 'to the;r inner sides of posts 15 are turnebuttons 22, and projecting inward'lyirom the side `walls`at diagonally opposite' points and' inward of contiguous p`osts`15 are staples 23. The top wallfof the coop lconsists of two seetions, each comprising a' pairv of end bars 24 "and connected lby lor'igitu'dinallyiextendingv slats 2'5 the latter corresponding in length to 'the' bottom and'adaptedwhen the sections uplfon-tletopmostnslats kSofr-,e end, Wallys.: e end .bars` 24 are arrangednwardhofpsts `V15 ofthe sidewalls and-"are provided 'with arms 26', hinged,v asv at 2 7, tothe topmost of the' end bars of one section arek ro- :videdjpl'ates' 28', forming shoulders, w l'ch l are folded downin operative position to rest 1 l 'e slatsv1'7 ofthe side walls. At the inner' ends 1 IOO underlie the corresponding ends oit' the' end bars ofthe other'top section when the-crate is in operative condition, and dependingfrom 'the innermost slat connecting saidl overlap-A ping" end bars' is a staple, 29","engagedj when the coop is in its operative position by the hook 14 of the partition, this relationl ofparts vrholding the top',wall 'reliably place, the 4 top` 'section having Vthel underlying shoulder:

IIO

having a cross-bar 30 to bear against the topmost slat of the partition at the opposite side from cleat 3 to guard against any tendency of the partition to swing downward and impose a lateral pull upon hook 14, which would tend to dislodge it from engagement with staple 29.

3l is a staple projecting upward from bottom 1 for a purpose which is hereinafter eX- plained.

When the crate is to be shipped in folded or knockdown condition, the hook 14 is disengaged from the staple 29 to unlock the top sections to permit them to be raised, so as to withdraw cross-bar 30 from the path of the partition and permit it to be folded down upon the bottom 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 2. Hooks 9 and 2l are then disengaged from staples 19 andv 8, respectively, to permit the side walls to be swung outward until they assume a vertically pendent position, as indicated in Fig.`5, the top sections, after the side walls are swung to such position, being folded upward and inward until their end bars 24 assume positions parallel with and squarely between the end posts 15 ofthe side walls and against the slats 17 thereof, as shown clearly by Sheet 2 of the drawings, the turn-buttons being then turned, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 5, and full lines, Figs. 6 and 7, to engage said end bars 24 and lock the top sections in the relation described. The end walls are then folded inwardlyuntil they rest on to of the bottom, one of them being so -secure by the engagement of its hook 9 with staple 81, projecting upward from the bottom. Thel topmost slat of the other end wall overlaps the normally upper portion of the reviously-folded partition, as shown clear y in Fig. 5, and then hook 14 is caused to engage staple 8 of said end wall, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. 5, so as to lock said end wall and the artition in the relation described. The fo ded side walls and the top sections are then folded, with hinges 18 as their pivotal points, up against the under side of the bottom 1, and hooks-21 of the sidewalls are caused to engage the staples 23 of the side Walls to lock said side Walls and top section in the relation described, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7. It will thus be seen that the idea of pivoting the hooks 9 to the end walls and the corresponding hooks 21 to the side walls was not haphazard, but was for the purpose of utilizing such hooks in securing the crate in its folded condition, it being understood that the hook,

9 of the end wall overlapping the partition may be caused to engage staple 13, and thusl doubly lock said side wall and partition in folded condition, as shown in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the entire coop or crate is self-contained* that is to say, that all of its parts are permanent parts, as distinguished from keys, cotters, and other detachable devices-and in consequence the possibility of any of the parts of the crate or coop being lost is reduced to the minimum.

From the above description it will be apparent that we have produced a poultry coop or crate which when made full size and of material of proper proportions will occu )y a space of the same length and width as tlle crate set u 5 but in depth the space occuied will be Ibut slightly more than the comined thickness of slats 5, posts 4, bottoni 1, slats 17, posts 15, and slats 25. Because of this fact it is obvious that approximately four car-loads of crates set up can be reshipped when folded in a single car.

It is to be understood that we reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detail, construction, and arrangement of the parts as shall not be a departure from the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

1. A poultry-crate, consisting of a bottom, end walls hinged to the bottom to fold inwardly upon the upper side of the same, side walls hinged to the bottom to fold outwardly and up against the under side of the bottom, staples projecting inwardly from the end and side Walls near their ends, diagonally opposite hooks permanently hinged to the contiguous staples of the end walls and detachably engaging the contiguous staples of the side walls, diagonally opposite hooks permanently hinged to the other pair of staples of the side walls and detachably engaging the other pair of staples of the end Walls, a partition hinged to the bottom a top wall for closing the upper side of the crate, said top walls consisting of two sections hinged at their outer edges to the upper parts of the side wall and adapted to fold down upon the end walls,

plates secured to and projecting from one of the top wall-sections under the other, a staple dependingfrom the overlying top wallsection, and a hook pivotally secured on the side of the partition and arranged to engage said staple to secure said top wall-section down upon the plates of the other section and upon the end walls.

2. A poultry-crate, comprising a bottom, end walls adapted to stand upright on the bottom and hinged thereto to fold down upon the upper side of the latter, a partition adapted to stand upon the bottom and hinged thereto to fold down upon the latter, side walls adapted to stand upon the bottom and hinged thereto to fold outwardly and up against the under side of the same, means to secure the side and end walls detachably together when occupying their upright positions, a top Wall consisting of a pair of sections hinged at their outer edges to the yupper parts of the side Walls and adapted to fold TOO ITO

ISO

. 'gage against' the side of theipartitionat the vsideV toward which itffolds, bars secured rig# idly to the inner sides of the side Wallsto e'n-f l' gagel against the opposite ysideof-'thfe partii idlyupright by said Sidesbars and-these@ tion Wherebyitlefpartltionfwill be held rig? 1 cross-,barfand asvtaple-and-hook connection 'upperside' o v hingedftheretozsi v bottom,` each ofy saidvvallshaving a hookl at [3.' Infapoultr -o'rat'e-,Vfa bottom; side Walls" l y tofgfoldv outwardly' and. upl .l prag'jainstthev under sideof the .bottom and con j n l sisti'ngofend ars: and, l'Conneating-slatsl and l v,f'topj"vvalliseotionshinged at. theirouter sides "l to the, upper parts Lof .the side Walls'inward of "th'eyiend `bars 'o'4tl'1elatt'erl` and vConsisting of tzrossbars` and eonneetingslatsyl ythe iorrfner'v f .being-adapted jto jfold yagainst the y'inner' side" v of sfide Q zwallsf .after the latter;have ybeen.: Sitzung-v oiitwardly, 'and turn-buttons kearri-ed byfandatgtheinnersidesfothe end bar'sof the fside Walls'- 'and `adapted when" the. top ,Wall-sections are zyfolded yagainst' the side l 'y Walls toi-engage! the normally upper Sides. ofL

heerossebarsrof Vsaid top Wall-sectionsl f 'p l s o lnapoultfryorate, .a bottom', end-Walls.: hinged'tov the ,bottom to fold downupon the' side yof the sarne.s and below one of the end end Wall to the bottom. l 5. A lcrate'oomprisin eachlhookfengagingthe staple at the.contigu.

side Walls ,and` arranged tol overlap at` their side l l l thes'arne and apartitin hinged` d tothe vbottom to'y fold down upon. the upper f Walls; "and ahookeandfstaple eonneot-ion for y securing said partition and overlying; end

' Wall inftherelation desoribedyand av ook-` andlstaple oonneetioniorseouring thejother .40` y a bottom, yend Walls v de Wa ls alsoV hinged yto :the

Crate is adjusted for use.'

inner.edges,l-a Centralpartitionfhinged to the bottom, a rstaple on said partition arranged v to' be engagedgby' ahook on one of the end 'Walls'fwhenthe crate' isfolded, anda hook ,Y carried by saidstaple and arran ed toengage vthe end Wall When the crate is- `olded rand'to engage Vone of thet'opWa'll-seotions When the V6. 'liioldalole coop or crate Comprising a j vbottom-having transverseoleats onl its upper t side at .its Center and near itsendsfends ihinged to the bottom Jto.fold down upon vthe vsameand Consisting ofi-posts and' slatscon# rkneoting'the postsand arranged to have the posts atthe ends-of the end transverse cleats j `and the lovvermostslats upon the bottom and outvvardof vsaid 'leats `When lthe ends are upf., right aoentral against the central transverse'oleat When up f `able ends AWhe'nth'e orateis not folded and to` f lieagainst he sides beneath thebottornvvhen4 the crate is folded, a'orosfsbar'on one'of thel p i topvmernbers arranged to bear' against "the n lcentral partition at the'side opposite kthe cenl 1 l tral` transverse cleat; means for holding' the r top memberstogetherand down upon the:v n v ends and the partition', and turn-buttons Aon the end posts of the sides arranged to engage y the'end bars ofthe top ymembers When the Z In testimony Whereofwe aIiX` our signa-v ."tures-in thegprespenoe o two Witnesses.

' ,y -1 v GEORGEB-`HENRY- Y ".ALEXANDER MARSH. n

v'YVitnessesz i v u J. E; PERKINS; :DLN BLONDON.

' :rightfsides hingedto the botto'mto fold 'un-7:' l d'erfthefsame and.Consisting'iofslats "and n ypostsfarra' r1ge`d toh'avef'the posts it betweenff- .andi against the postsv ofthe oppositeends -j v vWhen theysides` are, upright,A means on'the and lends `for Connecting them'intheir; v i upright positions,l topmembers hinged tothe 7' 5'l` i lfreefedg'es'of the'sides'and arranged tohave. vrtheirjends resten the `upper edges ofthe foldv ,y

p .transverse partitionghingedto @1 l n, thel bottomy and arranged to have itsposts 

